Rhonda's Contacts
by MeganKoumori
Summary: A sequel to 'Rhonda's Glasses.' Rhonda finally gets contacts, but what happens when they disappear during the night?
1. Chapter 1

1:

* * *

Rhonda sat on the picnic table, a pamphlet in her hand. Though most of the other kids were playing kickball, a small group from her class surrounded her. She flipped though the small paper book and pointed.

"_That's_ what I'm going to get!" She tapped the page triumphantly. "Amethyst Blue Contact lenses! They'll really bring out my eyes!" She paused, then turned to the next page. "Then again, I do adore the Cerulean colored ones. And they would make a smashing contrast to my sable hair!" At this, she flipped her tresses over her shoulder. "Oh, decisions, decisions! And I only have five and a half hours until my appointment!"

Curly grabbed the book. "Get these ones!" He said. "Blood red with blue veiny things!"

"Ew!" Rhonda snatched it back. "Curly, that's disgusting!"

"These green ones are oh so pretty!" Lila pointed to a picture.

"What about Onyx black?" Said Sheena.

"Please, people!" Rhonda lay down across the table, holding the booklet over her face with her arms straight. "Whatever I decide, they have to be blue! I've always wanted blue eyes!"

Someone chortled. "Oh come off it, Princess!"

Rhonda sat half way up and glared. "What?"

Helga stood with her arms crossed. "You have brown eyes. If you get blue contacts, they'll just look brown."

"Shows what you know," Rhonda huffed. She pulled herself all the way up and swung her legs over the table. "And for your information, my eyes are hazel!"

Helga snorted. "Yeah, and I'm Darby O'Gill of the Little People. Your eyes are brown, Rhondaloid. Dark brown."

Rhonda growled, scrunching the pamphlet in her fist. "You're just jealous, Helga, because I get brand new contacts and _you_ don't!"

Helga let out a loud laugh. "Oh I'm jealous all right!" She sneered. "For your information, I don't need contacts._ My_ eyes are perfect!" She turned away and headed back to the other side of the playground. "Come on, Pheebs. Let's go make Harold give us some of his peanut M&Ms."

Rhonda growled again. "Ooh! That girl makes me so…so…"

"You're getting contacts, Rhonda?" Said a new voice. Rhonda turned to see Arnold, who had just sat down.

"Why yes I am!" She handed him the brochure. "Isn't it marvelous? No more geeky glasses, no more…" Several of the kids made huffy noises. Rhonda smiled sheepishly. "Not that they don't look divine on some people!"

Arnold gave her back her pamphlet. "I thought your parents said you couldn't have contacts until you were twelve."

"That was before! I'm much older and much more responsible now than when I first got my frames!"

"But that was two weeks ago."

"The point is," Rhonda continued. "Mommy and Daddy finally saw the light and generously allowed me to switch."

"You mean," Said Gerald. "You whined and moaned until they gave in."

Rhonda shot him a poisonous look. "You'll see," She said. "You'll all see! Soon Rhonda Wellington Lloyd will be outfitted in the prettiest, most comfortable contact lenses ever!"

Arnold lay his arms on the picnic table. "I don't know, Rhonda. Contacts are a big responsibility. Are you sure you're up to it?"

Rhonda grinned. She sat back with her eyes closed and her face turned towards the sun. "It'll be as easy as kindergarten mathematics."


	2. Chapter 2

2:

* * *

Rhonda sat in the waiting room, twisting her fingers nervously. Her mother grabbed her hand.

"For goodness sake Rhonda, stop fidgeting! It isn't refined!"

Rhonda looked at her mother with dolor. "Will they…" She gulped. "Hurt, Mommy?"

"Rhonda you wanted these contacts, and you are going to wear them! Your father did not pay $69.95 for you to worry about a little discomfort! Besides," She pulled out a polished blue compact, snapped it open, and held it up to her face. "What does Mommy always tell you?"

"'It takes pains to be beautiful.'" Rhonda recited along with her.

"That's a good girl." Mrs. Lloyd puckered and began to apply Plum-Berry Lipstick to her mouth.

Rhonda began to fidget again. "It won't be so bad. I don't have to wear glasses anymore, and even if they hurt a little, I'm sure it'll be worth it. I mean, how much does it hurt to stick something in your eye anyway?"

There was a scream. The waiting room door flew open and Sid fell into the waiting room, shrieking. He crawled a few feet, then picked himself up and ran out the exit.

His father ran after him. "Wait Sid!" He hollered out the door. "The glaucoma tester doesn't hurt! It just puffs a little air into your eye, that's all!"

Rhonda slunk in her seat. "I am so doomed."

"Rhonda?" She sat up. The nurse was at the door. "Dr. Bartlett will see you now."

"Finally." Said Mrs. Lloyd, shutting her compact. "I had to push back my pedicure for this."

Rhonda stood up, her knees knocking together. "I'm…I'm…" She took a big swallow. "I'm ready!"

The nurse put a reassuring hand on her back. "You look a little nervous. Don't worry!" She winked. "You'll be just fine!"

* * *

In the doctor's office, the optometrist held out a white, peanut shaped case. "Here you go Rhonda. Brand new, Cerulean contacts." Rhonda took the case and opened it. "Do you need me to show you how to put them in?"

"No. I-I can do it." She stood in front of the mirror. "Well, this is it." She pulled up her eyelid and stuck in the tiny lens.

"Hey!" She smiled. "Why that's nothing at all!"

"Of course it's nothing." Said Mrs. Lloyd. She was filing a finicky fingernail.

"I told you you'd be ok!" Said the nurse as Rhonda put in the other one.

"Yes, it's amazing the technology we can use today to improve vision!" Said Dr. Bartlett as Rhonda blinked several times. "Back when contact lenses were invented, they were made of glass and I hear they hurt like the dickens. But now, you can wear a nice, flexible, plastic piece that feels like nothing at all!"

"They do!" Cried Rhonda. "They do feel like nothing!" She grasped her mother around the waist. "Oh, thank you! Thank you, Mommy!"

"Yes, well…" Said Mrs. Lloyd. "If we drive straight to 'Tuong's', I can just make my appointment."

As the two walked out of the office, Rhonda grabbed her mother's hand. "Can I get a manicure, Mommy?"

"Of course, Dear."

"I want pretty purple nails with little white flowers!"

* * *

Later that night, Rhonda sat on her canopy bed in her princess nightgown. She held out her newly polished, purple nails admiringly as she talked on the phone.

"It's the best thing ever, Nadine! And it was so easy! You should get contacts!"

"I dunno, Rhonda." Said Nadine on the other end. She was sprawled across her bed, hugging her plush Blue Morpho Butterfly to her chest. "I don't really need them, and the idea of sticking something in my eye makes my stomach all weird and twisty."

"This from the girl who not only keeps earthworms in her room, but pets them as well?"

"I told you," Said Nadine. "We're only keeping them until spring. Then my mom and I will use the nutrient-rich soil they lived in to plant our flowerbeds, thus proving that earthworms are not only beneficial to your garden, but…"

"Fascinating, Nadine. But back to contacts. It was a real breeze! I'm wearing them right now and I don't feel a thing!"

"Really? It doesn't hurt?"

"Not a bit!"

"And you weren't nervous?"

Rhonda laughed. "As if!"

Mr. Lloyd stuck his head in the room. "Lights out, Sweetie."

"Ok, Daddy." Into the phone, Rhonda said. "_Ciao_, Nadine. I'll see you tomorrow." Clicking off, Rhonda put her phone back on its stand and snuggled under her comforter.

"Don't forget to take your contacts out."

"Oh that's right!" Rhonda sat back up. "Thanks, Daddy."

"Good night, Muffin." Rhonda blew her father a kiss. He smiled and turned down the light.

Rhonda yawned and picked up her contacts case. She slid her nail under the tab and pushed. It wouldn't budge.

"It's stuck!" She tried to pry it open with both hands, but it remained fastened tight. Suddenly, it popped out of her hands like a wet bar of soap and fell beneath the bed.

"Perfect!" Sighed Rhonda irritably. She got down on her knees and looked under the frame. The small container was just beyond her reach. Reaching as far as she could, Rhonda's fingers tried to grab the case, but her shoulder bumping against the cold, metal frame prevented her from extending her arm any further.

Rhonda sat up on her knees. "Now what?" She pushed herself up by the nightstand. As she did, her fingers touched something moist and cold.

"That's it!" Pulling her contacts out, Rhonda cheerfully dunked each lens in her bedtime glass of water. And with that, she got back under the covers and fell asleep.

* * *

Sometime during the night, Rhonda awoke. Her throat felt like a scorching fire, dry and hot.

Groggily, she reached over and grabbed the glass of water. She put it to her lips and in less than fifteen seconds, drained the entire thing. Still half-asleep, she put it back and fell back on her pillow.

* * *

When Rhonda woke in the morning, she reached for her glasses. "Oh that's right." She smiled. "I wear contacts now. Nice, comfortable, cool…" She shifted her gaze to her glass. It was empty.

Rhonda gasped and grabbed the glass. She held it upside down and shook it. Nothing came out but a few stray drops that landed on her knee.

Rhonda screamed. She had swallowed her contacts.


	3. Chapter 3

3:

* * *

Fortunately, Nadine was already awake when she received the panicky phone call.

"Nadine? My new contact lenses are gone! I put them in water and now they're gone!"

Nadine was in her basement with a clipboard making notes on crickets in a glass box. "What? Slow down! What happened?"

"I…I…I drank my contacts!" Rhonda wailed.

Nadine nearly dropped the phone. "You what?"

"What am I going to do? Mother and Father will kill me if they find out! You've gotta help me, Nadine! Please!"

* * *

By the time Rhonda arrived in the cellar, Nadine was done with the crickets. She was plugging a CD player in the wall.

"Isn't it great, Rhonda? Mom and I are studying the effects of different music on insects. Today is Charlie Parker Day…"

"Will you forget about the bugs?" Rhonda hollered. "Right now, nearly seventy-dollars worth of contact lenses are sitting in my gut!"

"Alright, calm down." Said Nadine as she hit play. "Take a seat on the stool and I'll see what I can do."

Rhonda sat while Nadine grabbed a flashlight. "Open Sesame, Rhonda." Rhonda rolled her eyes as she dropped her jaw. "Mmm hmm. Mmm hmm." Nadine said as she shone the light down her throat.

"Wha?" Asked Rhonda. "Wha id it?"

Nadine snapped off the light. "They're definitely gone."

Rhonda jumped off the stool. "I KNOW THAT!" She shouted as she shook Nadine. "I need you to help me get them back!"

"What do you expect me to do?" Nadine shrugged her off. "Perform a colonoscopy?"

"A col-what?"

"Don't ask."

"Nadine, what do I do?" Rhonda sat back on the stool, clutching her dark head in her hands. "I was responsible for them! If Mommy and Daddy find out, they won't trust me again until I have grandchildren!"

"There's only one way to get them back Rhonda. But you're not going to like it."

"Name it."

"You're going to have to wait."

"Wait?" Rhonda looked puzzled. "Wait until what?"

"Until they come out on their own."

Rhonda looked ill. "Nadine!" She shuddered. "That's gross! No! There has to be another way!"

"Not unless you want me to perform major surgery." Said Nadine dryly. "And my chainsaw's in the shop."

Rhonda groaned loudly. "Look it at this way." Said Nadine. "You shouldn't have to wait more than twenty-four hours."

* * *

When Rhonda arrived at school, she wanted to keep a low profile, but to no avail. Several girls ran up to her as soon as she hit the playground.

"Did you get your new contacts, Rhonda?"

"What color did you get?"

"Can I try them on?"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Rhonda interrupted. "My contacts…aren't ready yet! They're very special contacts! They're coming from…" She searched for a place in her brain. "Zimbabwe! That's it! Zimbabwe! Very exclusive, very expensive!" She tried to push past the group. "Now if you'll excuse me…"

"Hah!" Helga said loudly. Rhonda clenched her teeth. "I bet your parents wouldn't let you get contacts, and now you're lying to cover it up!"

"For your information," Rhonda snapped. "My mother pushed back her pedicure so I could get my contacts!"

"But Rhonda," Said Phoebe. "You just said your contacts weren't ready."

Oops. "Well I…" Rhonda narrowed her eyes. "I said they weren't ready, and I meant it!" She shoved roughly past the crowd and into the school.

* * *

Rhonda was sitting at her desk when the other students came in. Mr. Simmons was behind them. "Hello class!"

"Hello Mr. Simmons."

He put his briefcase on the floor and pulled out a worn blue textbook. "Today we're starting our reading unit on fables. Who can tell me what a fable is?"

Rhonda didn't care what a fable was. Her stomach hurt.

"A fable," Said Phoebe. "Is a short story with a moral at the end."

"Very good, Phoebe. Now," Said Mr. Simmons. "Let's turn to page thirty-four in our textbooks. Today we're reading one of my favorite fables from the most famous storyteller in history: Aesop! 'The Fox and the Grapes!' Who wants to read? Arnold?"

Arnold cleared his throat. _"'A famished fox saw some clusters of black, ripe grapes…'"_ Rhonda tuned him out. She was thinking about the contacts in her belly.

What would happen if they never came out? She groaned. She could swear that she almost felt them dancing around, laughing and mocking at her.

A thought occurred to her and she clutched the edge of her desk in a panic. What if the contact lenses were poisonous? What if they killed her? The room began to spin from fear.

_"'…The grapes are sour, and not as ripe as I thought.'"_ Arnold finished.

"Very good. And what is the moral? Anyone?" Several students raised their hands, but Mr. Simmons looked beyond them. "Rhonda, how about you? What do you think the moral is?"

Rhonda didn't answer.

"Rhonda, did you hear me?" Nadine poked her in the back, but Rhonda still sat silently. "Rhonda?" Mr. Simmons put down his book and walked down the aisle. "Rhonda, are you ok? You look pale."

Rhonda began to shake. "I…I…"

"You what?"

_"I'M GOING TO DIE!"_ Rhonda suddenly screamed. She leapt from her desk, knocking her chair over. Pushing past Mr. Simmons, she ran from the classroom and out into the hall.

Stinky scratched his head. "Wilkers, I don't think that's it at all."


	4. Chapter 4

4:

* * *

Rhonda lay on the nurse's bed with a thermometer sticking out of her mouth. Nurse Shelly pulled it out from between her lips. "No fever. Are you positive that you need to go home?"

"Absolutely. I need to go home and rest for the next twenty-four hours."

"Well dear, the rules say I can't let you leave unless you're throwing up, have a fever, or have broken something. I'm sorry, but maybe you can just lay down here until you feel better."

Rhonda sat up. "I'm not going to feel better! Don't you understand? My life is hanging by a thread which could snap at any given second! Call the morgue! Call the funeral parlor! Just let me go home and die in peace!"

"Rhonda?" The curtain opened and Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd stepped in. "Rhonda, darling what happened?"

Rhonda looked surprised. "Mommy? Daddy? What are you doing here?"

"Your friend, Nadine called." Said Mr. Lloyd. Nadine peeked out from behind the curtain and gave a little wave. "She said you were ill, but she wouldn't say with what."

"She says she's dying." Said Nurse Shelly.

"Dying?" The Lloyds looked at their daughter. "What do you mean?"

Rhonda curled her knees to her face. "I can't tell you."

Mr. Lloyd looked stern. "Young lady, if you want any sympathy at all from us, you'd better tell us what's going on now!"

"Just tell them, Rhonda." Whispered Nadine.

"I…I…" Rhonda began to sob. _"I swallowed my contacts!"_

Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd stared at her in disbelief. "What?"

Rhonda began to babble. "I dropped the case under my bed and I couldn't reach it so I put my contacts in my glass of water but I guess I got thirsty during the night because when I woke up all the water was gone and so were my contacts! Please, please don't…" She stopped short. What was that look on her mother's face? Was she…was she laughing?

Mrs. Lloyd tried to hide her giggling behind her hands, but it was useless. Before Rhonda knew it, Mrs. Lloyd was laughing out loud, and so were her father and Nurse Shelly. Even Nadine was snickering.

"What's so funny?" Rhonda cried. "These contacts could kill me!"

Still laughing, Rhonda's mother sat next to her on the bed. "Rhonda Darling, no one ever died from swallowing their contacts."

Rhonda fiddled with the paper under her. "Am I in trouble?"

"No," Said Mrs. Lloyd. "But I think we should wait a while before we replace your lenses. Say two months?" She looked at her husband.

He nodded. "Two months, maybe one and a half if you can prove yourself responsible. Until then, you'll just have to make do with your glasses."

"Yes Daddy." Relieved, Rhonda slid off the table. She looked at Nadine. "See? And you were worried!" Nadine just rolled her eyes as she followed Rhonda out.

Rhonda was still talking as they entered the hall. "I knew it would be all right the whole time. Maybe when I get my new contacts, I can get the Amethyst Blue…" She walked straight into Helga. "Oof! Watch out!"

"You watch where you're going, Princess!" Helga snapped back. "Maybe if you were wearing your glasses, Four-Eyes, you wouldn't be crashing into people!"

Nurse Shelly stuck her head out of the office. "Helga? I thought that was you! I've been meaning to ask, have you gotten your reading glasses yet?"

Rhonda did a double take. Helga paled.

"Me? Reading glasses? I don't know what you're talking about!" She turned and waved her off. "You must have me confused with someone else!"

Nurse Shelly stepped out into the hallway. "Now Dear, we talked about this! You have a slight astigmatism! You need corrective lens!"

Rhonda was grinning from ear to ear. "Need me to recommend some designer brands, Helga?"

Helga just let out a frustrated scream and stomped to the bathroom.

"Anyway," Rhonda continued. "Maybe Mommy and Daddy will let me get two pairs this time. I'm think Onyx Black for my second pair…"


End file.
